Leontopithecus Rosalia Research Articles

Four hurdles for conservation on private land: the case of the golden lion tamarin in Brazil's Atlantic Forest

Many threatened species worldwide rely on patches of remnant vegetation in private landholdings. To establish private reserves that contribute effectively to conservation involves a wide range of complex and interacting ecological, legal, social and financial factors. These can be seen as a series of successive hurdles, each with multiple bars, which must all be surmounted. The golden lion tamarin, Leontopithecus rosalia, is restricted to the Atlantic Forest biome in the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. This forest is largely cleared. There are many small remnant patches on private lands, able to support tamarins. Local NGO’s have successfully used limited funds to contribute to tamarin conservation in a highly cost effective way. We examined the mechanisms by analysing documents and interviewing landholders and other stakeholders. We found that the local NGOs successfully identified landholdings where ecological, legal, social and some financial hurdles had already been crossed, and helped landholders over the final financial hurdle by funding critical cost components. This cost <5% of the price of outright land purchase. This approach is scaleable for golden lion tamarin elsewhere within the Atlantic Forest biome, and applicable for other species and ecosystems worldwide.

Wildlife sequences of islet amyloid polypeptide (IAPP) identify critical species variants for fibrillization

Amyloid can be detected in the islets of Langerhans in a majority of type 2 diabetic patients. These deposits have been associated with β-cell death, thereby furthering diabetes progression. Islet amyloid polypeptide (IAPP) amyloidogenicity is quite variable among animal species, and studying this variability could further our understanding of the mechanisms involved in the aggregation process. Thus, the general aim of this study was to identify IAPP isoforms in different animal species and characterize their propensity to form fibrillar aggregates. A library of 23 peptides (fragment 8–32) was designed to study the amyloid formation using in silico analysis and in vitro assays. Amyloid formation was impeded when the NFLVH motif found in segment 8–20 was substituted by DFLGR or KFLIR segments. A 29P, 14K and 18R substitution were often present in non-amyloidogenic sequences. Non-amyloidogenic sequences were obtained from Leontopithecus rosalia, Tursiops truncatus and Vicugna pacos. Fragment peptides from 34 species were amyloidogenic. To conclude, this project advances our knowledge on the comparative pathogenesis of amyloidosis in type II diabetes. It is conceivable that the additional information gained may help point towards new therapeutic strategies for diabetes patients.

Infection with Trypanosoma cruzi TcII and TcI in free-ranging population of lion tamarins (Leontopithecus spp): an 11-year follow-up.

Here, we present a review of the dataset resulting from the 11-years follow-up of Trypanosoma cruzi infection in free-ranging populations of Leontopithecus rosalia (golden lion tamarin) and Leontopithecus chrysomelas (golden-headed lion tamarin) from distinct forest fragments in Atlantic Coastal Rainforest. Additionally, we present new data regarding T. cruzi infection of small mammals (rodents and marsupials) that live in the same areas as golden lion tamarins and characterisation at discrete typing unit (DTU) level of 77 of these isolates. DTU TcII was found to exclusively infect primates, while TcI infected Didelphis aurita and lion tamarins. The majority of T. cruzi isolates derived from L. rosalia were shown to be TcII (33 out 42) Nine T. cruzi isolates displayed a TcI profile. Golden-headed lion tamarins demonstrated to be excellent reservoirs of TcII, as 24 of 26 T. cruzi isolates exhibited the TcII profile. We concluded the following: (i) the transmission cycle of T. cruzi in a same host species and forest fragment is modified over time, (ii) the infectivity competence of the golden lion tamarin population fluctuates in waves that peak every other year and (iii) both golden and golden-headed lion tamarins are able to maintain long-lasting infections by TcII and TcI.

African origin for New World monkeys

Paleontology![Figure][1] South American silvery marmosets ( Mico argentatus ) had an African ancestor. PHOTO: © THOMAS MARENT/VISUALS UNLIMITED/CORBIS New World monkeys—smallish, flat-nosed primates with prehensile tails such as silvery marmosets, golden lion tamarins, and squirrel monkeys—have inhabited South America for at least 26 million years, but it is unclear when they arrived and where they originated. Many paleontologists suspect an African origin, based on skeletal resemblances to ancient African monkeys. Now, Bond et al. describe three 36 million-year-old fossil teeth found in the Peruvian Amazon that support this idea: The shape of the teeth and phylogenetic analyses link the fossils to monkeys that inhabited Africa during the late Eocene, about 38 million years ago. The discovery also pushes back the monkeys' arrival date—perhaps by vegetation raft across the Atlantic Ocean—by 10 million years. Nature , 10.1038/nature14120 (2014). [1]: pending:yes

Predation rate and future reproductive potential explain home range size in golden lion tamarins

The ecological constraints hypothesis states that as group size increases, groups travel further and occupy larger home ranges in order to meet basic energetic needs for survival and reproduction. In this paper we used 19 years of demographic and ranging data on a study population of golden lion tamarins, Leontopithecus rosalia, to examine this hypothesis. Significant variation in rate of predation on lion tamarins during the study affected group size, membership and population density, which allowed us to test for predicted correlations between these changes and home range size. We found that predation-mediated changes in group composition and population density explained 71% of variation in home range size. Increased predation decreased lion tamarin home ranges because of the effects of decreased group size, fewer adult natal males and fewer reproductive females in the group. The effect of these factors on decreased ranging was offset somewhat by lower population density during high predation, which resulted in range expansion due to reduced pressure from neighbouring groups. We also found that groups with high future reproductive potential (i.e. with multiple breeding females) increased their range size. This effect was independent of group size. We propose a new hypothesis, that taxa with high rates of reproduction, such as lion tamarins, will increase home range size to accommodate future energy needs, rather than current needs, as would be predicted by the ecological constraints hypothesis. No or low production of infants and litters on the smallest lion tamarin ranges in our study supports this new hypothesis.

Modelling the distribution of key tree species used by lion tamarins in the Brazilian Atlantic forest under a scenario of future climate change

We used three IPCC climate change scenarios (A1B, A2 and B1) in a dynamic vegetation model (CARAIB), to determine the potential future distribution of 75 tree species used by two endemic primate species from the Brazilian Atlantic Forest (BAF). Habitat conservation is a vital part of strategies to protect endangered species, and this is a new approach to understanding how key plant species needed for survival of golden lion tamarins (Leontopithecus rosalia) and golden-headed lion tamarins (L. chrysomelas) might be affected by climate change and what changes to their distribution are likely. The model accurately predicted the current distribution of BAF vegetation types, for 66 % of the individual tree species with 70 % agreement obtained for presence. In the simulation experiments for the future, 72 out of 75 tree species maintained more than 95 % of their original distribution and all species showed a range expansion. At the biome level, we note a substantial decrease in the sub-tropical forest area. There is some fragmentation of the savannah, which is encroached mostly by tropical seasonal forest. Where the current distribution shows a large sub-tropical forest biome, it has been replaced or encroached by tropical rainforest. The results suggested that the trees may benefit from an increase in temperature, if and only if soil water availability is not altered significantly, as was the case with climate simulations that were used. However, these results must be coupled with other information to maximise usefulness to conservation since BAF is already highly fragmented and subject to high anthropic pressure.

Matching based on biological categories in Orangutans (Pongo abelii) and a Gorilla (Gorilla gorilla gorilla).

Following a series of experiments in which six orangutans and one gorilla discriminated photographs of different animal species in a two-choice touch screen procedure, Vonk & MacDonald (2002) and Vonk & MacDonald (2004) concluded that orangutans, but not the gorilla, seemed to learn intermediate level category discriminations, such as primates versus non-primates, more rapidly than they learned concrete level discriminations, such as orangutans versus humans. In the current experiments, four of the same orangutans and the gorilla were presented with delayed matching-to-sample tasks in which they were rewarded for matching photos of different members of the same primate species; golden lion tamarins, Japanese macaques, and proboscis monkeys, or family; gibbons, lemurs (Experiment 1), and subsequently for matching photos of different species within the following classes: birds, reptiles, insects, mammals, and fish (Experiment 2). Members of both Great Ape species were rapidly able to match the photos at levels above chance. Orangutans matched images from both category levels spontaneously whereas the gorilla showed effects of learning to match intermediate level categories. The results show that biological knowledge is not necessary to form natural categories at both concrete and intermediate levels.

Do mothers prefer helpers? Birth sex-ratio adjustment in captive callitrichines

Parental investment theory predicts that natural selection will favour a parental ability to bias the offspring sex ratio in favour of that which will yield the highest benefit–cost payoff. The local resource enhancement hypothesis posits that in cooperative breeders, parents may favour offspring that will mitigate parental effort by helping to raise younger siblings. Conversely, the fragile male hypothesis suggests that parents will adjust the sex ratio in favour of the sex that experiences higher mortality. We examined international studbook data of two cooperatively breeding primate species with differing reproductive strategies: golden lion tamarins, Leontopithecus rosalia , which typically give birth to twins, and callimicos, Callimico goeldii , which almost always give birth to singletons. The tamarins showed a stronger secondary sex-ratio bias in favour of males than did the callimicos, as predicted by the local resource enhancement hypothesis, because tamarins sustain higher per-parturition costs and because sons may invest more effort in caring for their younger siblings than do daughters. However, a generalized linear regression failed to reveal factors that may influence this variation. There was no significant predictor of male bias based on mother's age, mother's number of previous parturitions or group size. Contrary to predictions of the fragile male hypothesis, sons were no less likely to survive the postnatal period of parental investment than were daughters. A greater understanding of this phenomenon is needed because the adult sex-ratio bias in favour of males has become so pronounced, especially in golden lion tamarins, as to cause management difficulties for the conservation of these endangered species.

High rates of pregnancy loss by subordinates leads to high reproductive skew in wild golden lion tamarins (Leontopithecus rosalia)

Across taxa, cooperative breeding has been associated with high reproductive skew. Cooperatively breeding golden lion tamarins (Leontopithecus rosalia) were long thought to have a monogynous mating system in which reproduction was limited to a single dominant female. Subordinates with few reproductive opportunities delayed dispersal and remained in the natal group to provide alloparental care to siblings, thus allowing dominant reproductive females to meet the energetic needs associated with high rates of reproduction and successful infant rearing. The goal of this study was to re-assess monogyny in wild golden lion tamarin groups based upon pregnancy diagnoses that used non-invasive enzyme immunoassay for progesterone and cortisol, combined with weekly data on individual weight gain, bi-annual physical examinations noting pregnancy and lactation status and daily behavioral observations. We established quantitative and qualitative criteria to detect and determine the timing of pregnancies that did not result in the birth of infants. Pregnancy polygyny occurred in 83% of golden lion tamarin groups studied. The loss of 64% of subordinate pregnancies compared to only 15% by dominant females limited reproductive success mainly to dominant females, thus maintaining high reproductive skew in female golden lion tamarins. Pregnancy loss by subordinate adults did not appear to result from dominant interference in subordinate hormonal mechanisms, but more likely resulted from subordinate abandonment of newborn infants to mitigate dominant aggression.

The panorama of animal leptospirosis in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, regarding the seroepidemiology of the infection in tropical regions

BackgroundLeptospirosis is an important disease caused by various serovars of Leptospira sp. It can affect humans as well as domestic and wild animals; therefore, it has importance for public health, animal production, and wild species. The aim of this paper is to discuss the epidemiology of animal leptospirosis in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, as a possible model for other tropical regions. In several studies conducted in the last 20 years, a total of 47 rats, 120 dogs, 875 cows, 695 horses, 1,343 goats, 308 sheep and 351 pigs from all regions of the state, in addition to 107 wild mammals and 73 golden-lion tamarins were tested (MAT) for anti-Leptospira antibodies.ResultsSeroreactivity was frequent in all studied species, confirming that the infection is endemic in Rio de Janeiro. Serogroups Icterohaemorrhagiae and Sejroe were the most prevalent in urban and rural scenarios, respectively. This paper reviews the current knowledge on animal leptospirosis in Rio de Janeiro and describes important differences between urban versus rural cycles of the infection in various species.ConclusionIdentification of the prevailing serogroups and their reservoirs is essential for understanding agent-host-environment interactions under tropical conditions.

Introduced Primate Species of an Atlantic Forest Region in Brazil: Present and Future Implications for the Native Fauna

The Atlantic Forest of the state of Rio de Janeiro was the habitat of six native primate species: Callithrix aurita, Leontopithecus rosalia, Alouatta guariba clamitans, Brachyteles arachnoides, Callicebus nigrifrons and Cebus nigritus; a seventh species, Brachteles hypoxanthus, possibly occurs in the state. In the literature, the number of non-native primate species for the state was less (three) than the native species (six or seven). Our study reviews the list of primate species, both native and non-native, within the state of Rio de Janeiro and discusses the possible impacts of the introduced primates on the native fauna. Using data from the literature, personal communication with experts, data from Brazilian Federal datasets (Linha Verde and CETAS), and specimens deposited in scientific collections of museums, we recorded 17 primate species with at least one record within the state of Rio de Janeiro. At least eight taxa can be considered non-native to the state. Conservation implications for native fauna may include food resource depletion and competition, hybridization, and disease transmission. Some of these effects were already recorded on the native fauna. We believe the removal of non-native primate species from the state is necessary in order to preserve native fauna regardless of political and ethical issues.

Human Herpesvirus 1 in Wild Marmosets, Brazil, 2008

Human Herpesvirus 1 in Wild Marmosets, Brazil, 2008

Evolutionary Glycomics: Characterization of Milk Oligosaccharides in Primates

Free oligosaccharides are abundant components of mammalian milk and have primary roles as prebiotic compounds, in immune defense, and in brain development. A mass spectrometry-based technique is applied to profile milk oligosaccharides from apes (chimpanzee, gorilla, and siamang), new world monkeys (golden lion tamarin and common marmoset), and an old world monkey (rhesus). The purpose of this study is to evaluate the patterns of primate milk oligosaccharide composition from a phylogenetic perspective to assess the extent to which the compositions of HMOs derives from ancestral primate patterns as opposed to more recent evolutionary events. Milk oligosaccharides were quantitated by nanoflow liquid chromatography on chip-based devices. The relative abundances of fucosylated and sialylated milk oligosaccharides in primates were also determined. For a systematic and comprehensive study of evolutionary patterns of milk oligosaccharides, cluster analysis of primate milk was performed using the chromatographic profile. In general, the oligosaccharides in primate milk, including humans, are more complex and exhibit greater diversity compared to the ones in nonprimate milk. A detailed comparison of the oligosaccharides across evolution revealed nonsequential developmental pattern, that is, that primate milk oligosaccharides do not necessarily cluster according to the primate phylogeny. This report represents the first comprehensive and quantitative effort to profile and elucidate the structures of free milk oligosaccharides so that they can be related to glycan function in different primates.

Progressive parenting behavior in wild golden lion tamarins

Young primates in the family Callitrichidae (the marmosets and tamarins) receive extensive and relatively prolonged care from adults. Of particular note, callitrichid young are routinely provisioned until well after weaning by parents and helpers, which is in stark contrast to typical juvenile primates, who must acquire most of their food independently once they are weaned. Adults of some callitrichid species produce a specialized vocalization that encourages immature group members to take proffered food from the caller. Here, I report that wild adult golden lion tamarins (Leontopithecus rosalia) not only used this food-offering call to encourage young, mobile offspring to approach and take captured prey from them, but as the young began to spend significant time foraging for themselves and to acquire prey by independent means, the frequency of these vocalizations in the context of food transfer declined. Adults then began to use food-offering calls in a novel context: to direct juveniles to foraging sites that contained hidden prey that the adults had found but not captured. During the period of these most frequent adult-directed prey captures, the independent prey-capture success rates of juveniles improved. Thus, adults modified their provisioning behavior in a progressive developmentally sensitive manner that may have facilitated learning how to find food. I hypothesize that as a result of these demonstrations by adults, juveniles either may be encouraged to continue foraging despite low return rates or to learn the properties of productive prey-foraging substrates in a complex environment.

DEGRADATION CHARACTERISTICS OF GOLDEN LION TAMARIN LEONTOPITHECUS ROSALIA TWO-PHRASE LONG CALLS: IMPLICATIONS FOR CALL DETECTION AND RANGING IN THE EVERGREEN FOREST

ABSTRACT Neotropical primates have evolved long calls, which have a role in spacing and cohesion of groups. Detection and “reading” of long calls as well as ranging of calling individuals seem essential for this role. This study used sound propagation experiments to investigate habitat caused degradation of long calls of the Golden Lion Tamarin Leontopithecus rosalia and its implications for “reading” and ranging long calls of calling tamarins. The experiments were made in lowland, evergreen forest in Brazil. Synthesized copies of natural sounds were broadcast and re-recorded using different combinations of microphone and speaker heights of 2.0 and 7.5 m and distances of 2.5, 10, 20, 40 and 80 m. Excess attenuation, blurring, signal-to-noise ratio and energy of tail of echoes were quantified. The highest frequency sounds attenuated most at all distances, showing the lowest signal-to-noise ratio. The more effective sound propagation at 2.0 m (below the canopy and in the upper part of the dense undergrowth where they forage) facilitates reading of the information content of the long calls and hence their use for communication during foraging. Although the high degradation of the long calls with distance at microphone and speaker heights of 7.5 m (inside the canopy) constrains reading of the long calls' information content it does provide very good conditions for ranging and may be one of several reasons for why long-calling tamarins approach long-calling neighbours through dense vegetation for group encountering.

The bony labyrinth of the early platyrrhine primate Chilecebus

We document the morphology of the bony labyrinth of Chilecebus carrascoensis, one of the best preserved early platyrrhines known, based on high resolution CT scanning and 3D digital reconstruction. The cochlea is low and conical in form, as in other anthropoids, but has only 2.5 spiral turns. When the allometric relationship with body mass is considered, cochlear size is similar to that in extant primates. The relative size of the semicircular canals, which is well within the range of other primates, indicates that Chilecebus carrascoensis was probably not as agile in its locomotion as other small-bodied platyrrhines such as Leontopithecus rosalia, Saguinus oedipus, and Callithrix jacchus, but it probably was not a suspensory acrobat or a slow climber. The proportion, shape, and orientation of the semicircular canals in Chilecebus carrascoensis also mirror that typically seen in extant primates. However, no single variable can be used for predicting the locomotor pattern in Chilecebus carrascoensis. Based on Principle Component Analysis (PCA) scores we calculated rescaled Euclidean distances for various taxa; primates with similar locomotor patterns tend to share shorter distances. Results for Chilecebus carrascoensis underscore its general resemblance to living quadrupedal primate taxa, but it is not positioned especially near any single living taxon.

Successful Treatment of a Chronic Facial Abscess Using a Prolonged Release Antibiotic Copolymer in a Golden Lion Tamarin (Leontopithecus rosalia)

A 3-yr-old, female captive golden lion tamarin (Leontopithecus rosalia) developed an abscess initially within the oral cavity that progressed to the cheek. Treatment with amoxicillin/clavulanic acid, enrofloxacin, and sulfamethoxizole/trimethoprim resulted in temporary resolution of the abscess. Cultures from the abscess included Escherichia coli, Enterobacter cloacae, hemolytic Staphylococcus, and Serratia marcescens. Histopathology was consistent with chronic cellulitis. Ceftazidime mixed with a thermoreversable polymer gel was surgically placed in the wound to provide long-term local antibiotic therapy. This provided complete resolution of infection without the need for additional surgical procedures.

Does the golden lion tamarin, Leontopithecus rosalia (Primates: Callitrichidae), select a location whithin the forest strata for long distance communication?

The effectiveness of auditory signals for long distance communication depends on environmental, biological and behavioral factors. Because the environment is not homogenous, it is expected that vocalizing animals would emit signals from locations (perches) that would facilitate call propagation and perception. Perching behavior has been widely documented in birds, but not in primates. The aim of this study was to ascertain whether golden lion tamarins - Leontopithecus rosalia (Linnaeus, 1766) - emit long calls from places (perch) within the forest strata that are higher above the ground with respect to places used for baseline behaviors. We compared the forest stratum (upper, middle and lower strata) and habitat type (hill, swamp and lowland forests) used for long calls with those used for other behaviors. The focal animal technique (n = 4) of 10 minutes with instantaneous sampling at two minutes were used if the subjects were not emitting long calls, and the all-occurrences technique if a focal individual emitted a two-phrase long call. Golden lion tamarins used all strata in all habitat types, including the ground, when they were not emitting long calls, but vocalized long calls most often from the upper strata, just underneath the canopy, in the three habitats studied. From a total of 29 bouts of long calls, 21 were initiated by individuals that were in the lower stratum; however, these individuals subsequently migrated to the upper stratum, while still vocalizing. Calling from the upper strata of the forest, just underneath canopy could improve sound transmission, perception, visual contact or a combination of these types of communication. Based on these considerations, we hypothetize that by placing themselves in the upper strata of the forest when emitting calls, golden lion tamarins enhance their likelhood to locate other callers, not only be improving sound reception, but also by increasing their chances to make visual contact with them.

Helminths found in marmosets ( Callithrix penicillata and C allithrixjacchus) introduced to the region of occurrence of golden lion tamarins ( Leontopithecusrosalia) in Brazil

The introduction of exotic species can increase the risk of extinction of native species through the introduction of new diseases, predation or resource competition. The marmosets Callithrix penicillata and Callithrix jacchus and hybrids of these two species have been introduced to privately owned forests in the lowland Atlantic forest of the Rio de Janeiro State in Brazil, the region of occurrence of the endangered golden lion tamarin, Leontopithecus rosalia. Because the ecology and biology of the marmosets and tamarins is similar, there is a reasonable risk that the marmosets would transmit pathogens such as endo parasites. The objective of this study was to identify the helminth fauna present in the introduced marmosets through an analysis of fecal samples of wild caught animals, and to evaluate the parasitological profile according to age, sex and geographical location. Eggs belonging to the Acanthocephala and Nematoda were found in the feces. One nematode egg type was identified as being Primasubulura jacchi. The ocurrence of nematodes was higher in males, acanthocephala were found in all age groups and sexes and P. jacchi was found with higher frequency in adult females. The geographic distribution analysis revealed that some of the forests had a higher predominance of parasites. Little is known about the pathology of parasites in free living Neotropical mammals, and this knowledge would be necessary to infer about the risk (form a parasitological standpoint) that the marmoset presence represents for the survival of the endangered golden lion tamarin.

The impact of concomitant infections by Trypanosoma cruzi and intestinal helminths on the health of wild golden and golden-headed lion tamarins

A 4-year longitudinal epidemiological study was carried out to evaluate the effect of infection by Trypanosoma cruzi and three intestinal helminth species on the health of golden and golden-headed lion tamarins. We evaluated health using analysis of blood counts, serum proteins, electrophoretograms, electrocardiograms and a health ranking based on physiological parameters. Among the helminths, Trichostrongylidae was demonstrated as the most pathogenic, followed by Prosthenorchis sp.; concomitant infection by Spiruridae may exacerbate the negative effects of the other two helminths. T. cruzi infection was not highly detrimental to the health of the study animals and was correlated with increased resilience to helminths. Tamarins younger than 1-year of age or older than 4-years had lower health condition. Golden-headed lion tamarins were in lower health condition because of higher parasitic prevalence. Our data suggest that when parasite community pathogenicity and prevalence are high, natural selection will allow survival only of lion tamarins in the best health condition.